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Nathalie K. Lynn Jamie Lucero Mexican Studies Institute 10/16/2016 LATINO YOUTH ACHIEVEMENT INITIATIVE: SERVING LATINO YOUTH, FAMILIES, AND THE COMMUNITY

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Nathalie K. LynnJamie Lucero Mexican Studies Institute 10/16/2016

LATINO YOUTH ACHIEVEMENT INITIATIVE: SERVING LATINO YOUTH, FAMILIES, AND THE

COMMUNITY

“With this program I have been able to work on my social skills, as well as progress in my future goals. I've been able to visit different colleges, one of which I am applying for.”

-Crystal Torres, current AUP student, 17

As a former student of AUP, I have been a part of OBT for about two years and it has been helpful and fun in my experience. Being part of it helped me think about the options that relate to college. The faculty also planned college trips to show students what options we have, which I very much enjoyed”

-Kevin Roa, AAMC graduate and City Tech student, 18

“I am proud to have worked with Anchoring Achievement in Mexican Communities. The program acknowledged that school success for teenagers is correlated with their family's economic and social stability. With that in mind, the program facilitated holistic, culturally specific services for Mexican Americans in Bushwick. Our work did not end in the classroom. Thanks to AAMC funding, Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow was able to provide scholarship application assistance, field trips for experiential learning, feedback in parent-teacher conferences, and parental support in navigating social services.”

-Laura Garbes, Previous AAMC Coordinator

OBT AS A LEADER IN IMMIGRANT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

OBT is already a leader in workforce development:• OBT serves over 4,000 New Yorkers each year, with a 95%

completion rate in our youth workforce development programs.

OBT’s existing site locations are strategic to reach out to immigrant populations:• All of OBT’s sites are located in high traffic areas with in

immigrant-rich communities.• 60% of the participants of our youth programming and 90% of

our adult programming are Latinos Services in place catering to diverse population of immigrants:

• Office for New Americans has served 1,000 immigration consultations at OBT, resulting in citizenship for over 300 individuals

• English for Speakers of Other Languages

In July 2013, after receiving a three-year grant from the Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation, The program was named “Anchoring Achievement in Mexican Communities: An Initiative to Expand and Strengthen Educational Opportunities for Mexican Children, Youth and Families in New York City Communities.”

The role of Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow within the five-borough program was to serve one third of Mexican youth aged 16-21 in Bushwick, Brooklyn and Ridgewood, Queens. To this end, we partnered with local High Schools, churches, and community based organizations.

In year 3, we began to officially serve ages 16-24 in our programming with the intent of mirroring existing OBT youth service goals, and we slowly shifted to becoming a pan-Latino initiative. The program name was then changed to Latino Youth Achievement Initiative.

ORIGINS AND HISTORY OF LYAI

PAST OBT AAMC PROGRAMMING, EVENTS AND WORKSHOPS: A TIMELINE OF VENUES

In February and June of 2016, the LYAI facilitated The Mexican Consulate on Wheels in Bushwick, Brooklyn. A total of 315 individuals received consular services.

Gaining Responsibility and Ownership through Willingness (GROW), in partnership with Churches United for Fair Housing, facilitated a high school leadership program that provided recreational activities and academic tutoring.

A Bushwick Community Resource Guide 2015-2016, was created in order to provide clients with a directory of various community based organizations and the services they provide.

DISTINGUISHED EVENTS AND PARTNERSHIPS

PROGRAM OUTCOMES

During the three year grant , the Bushwick network served a total of 1612 Bushwick community members; 656 were from Mexican descent, of which 268 were youth or parents of youth between the ages of 16 and 21.

Program Outcomes for Target Populations Year 1 Year 2

Year 3 (as of April 2016)

Total

Outreach and Recruitment (39%) Community Events & Case Management 51 78 108 237

Total 51 78 108 237

Education and Job Readiness (26%) OSY

26 33 33 92 YAIP

Digital Career Path

Certified Medical Admin Assistant

AELP (ESOL & JSELL) 10 16 19 45

Immigration Consultations 4 7 10 21

Total 40 56 62 158

High School Youth Programs (23%) GROW Job Readiness 7 14 14 35

GROW Sports and Arts 10 15 15 40

Academy of Urban Planning (Anchor Up) 12 18 31 61

Individual College Field Trips -- -- 17 17

Total 29 47 77 153

Parent Workshops (12%) Single workshops at community centers 5 10 41 56

Academy of Urban Planning (one-on-one) 5 10 5 20

Total 10 20 46 76

Total 130 201 268 624

The Latino Youth Achievement Initiative (LYAI) will serve Latino

youth, aged 14 to 24 residing in the neighborhoods of Bushwick,

Brooklyn and Ridgewood, Queens.

The initiative has a holistic approach to ensure the economic well-

being of Latino youth. The following program components help us

address the various need of the population:• In-school programming: College and Career readiness

• Individual case management: Adults and Youth

• Community Involvement: Educational workshops, resource management, and community outreach.

LYAI CURRENT PROGRAMMING

IN- SCHOOL PROGRAMMING

Bushwick Campus- Academy of Urban Planning High School

“Anchor Up”: The one semester program offers personal development, career, and college readiness curriculum to promote high school graduation and a liaison to various OBT job training programs.

“DREAM TEAM”: A spring elective course that included students from two of the schools in the Bushwick Campus. Students gained more awareness of their own immigrant history and how they can use a strengths based approach to both self-advocate and serve others.

IN- SCHOOL PROGRAMMING

Grand Street Campus- Urban Arts Partnership (Legal Studies High School and Progress High School)

Student Population: 53.21% Latino and 23.85% English Language Learners

College access seminars are offered, during the school day, to all seniors. Individual consultations are also offered to help students apply for college, financial aid, and scholarships.

Young adult clients came in for assistance with the following:

• College and financial aid advising

• Interview and Resume preparation

• Finding Internships

• Summer Youth Employment

Provided parents and adults assistance/referrals for the following :

• English and civics classes

• High School Equivalency preparation

• Computer classes

• Medicaid and SNAP assistance

• Affordable and/or emergency housing

• Immigration services

CASE MANAGEMENT

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT Connecting Parents to their Rights:

Educational workshops that discuss varies topics such as labor laws, immigration rights, discrimination law, emergency preparedness, etc.

Connecting Parents to Financial Literacy:

We provide resources and workshops regarding budgeting, managing debt, affordable housing options, etc.

Community Outreach & Engagement:

Our program participates in various community and resource fairs. By tabling at these events, we are able to share our program offerings with members of the community and connect with other organizations.

“We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community... Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own.”

-Cesar Chavez